For lack of creativity: ShikaXHina
by miimaicellf
Summary: Shikamaru, along with Naruto & Ino & Sakura, must leave on a 3 month long mission. How will Hinata and Shikamaru deal with this separation? Will love conquer all? Onesided ShikaIno & KibaHina. Obviously ShikaxHina. On hold.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, though I wish I did. But you all know what they say, if wishes were fishes then…um, never mind. Enjoy!**

Hinata's and Shikamaru's relationship was full of surprises. The first being that they were **in **a relationship. The young adults decided to celebrate the success of their recent mission by going on a date when their next day off came. Hinata, knowing what Shikamaru was most likely to suggest, dressed in a comfy, light purple dress. It stopped just above her knees and had thick straps that tied behind her neck. Underneath it she wore Capri's that stopped half way passed her knees and to add the finishing touch she shrugged on her normal big purple sweater. She zipped it up just enough so that it would not be considered indecent and left her hair down. Hinata calmly walked out of the Hyuga compound as she made her way to their meeting place, the Ichiraku ramen restaurant.

Shikamaru lazily got up from the bench he had been sitting on and stretched. He scratched his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Shikamaru hadn't bothered to change out of his shinobi clothes since he had just come back from a mission late last night. Today was the only day he could hang out with his girlfriend. Just thinking about it made a small smirk cross his lips. Of course, he could be at his house sleeping until he had to leave once more instead of going to eat with Hinata. His next mission was going to be a long infiltration mission in the land of waves. _What a drag_. Nevertheless he made his way to the Ichiraku ramen shop stifling a yawn as he went.

Shikamaru leaned against the side of the building as he waited for Hinata to arrive trying to remain as awake as possible. Right at their agreed time Hinata came into view from around the corner. Shikamaru stood straight as he looked her up and down and led her inside. A small blush graced her cheeks when his arm accidentally brushed against her shoulder as he held up the flap waiting for her to enter. They sat at a booth near the back of the restaurant. Ayame brought the couple their order and left the two alone. Just as their conversation was going somewhere an excruciating bright blond head walked into the restaurant. Shikamaru, who was facing the entrance, immediately shrunk down trying his best to hide. Puzzled, Hinata looked over her shoulder, a small blush appearing on her cheeks as she uttered a single word, "Naruto…"

As if on cue the blonde's head turned, "Hey, Shikamaru! Hinata!" He made his way over waving his arms wildly about. Shikamaru straightened up, _tch_, and Hinata scooted over as Naruto invited himself over to their table. "What do you think of our next mission, Shikamaru? I can't wait to see the look on Inari's face when he sees that Naruto, the soon to be next Hokage, has returned. Isn't it exciting that we'll get to spend **three whole months **there! I can hardly wait!" Then he glanced over at Hinata, "Oh, hey Hinata how you've been?" She looked down sadly at her hands in her lap. _Tch, Naruto you idiot,_ the Nara thought.

Quickly finishing up the remainder of his meal Shikamaru stood up and extended his hand to Hinata, "Sorry we can't stay longer, but we have somewhere to be." Hinata got out as best she could seeing as Naruto didn't bother to stand, "Um, it was nice talking to you again," she whispered shyly. Shikamaru's hand instinctively tightened a fraction of an inch as he dragged her out the door. However, a few seconds later his head popped back in to say, "Oh, and thanks for taking care of the bill for us. Later." Ayame stood beside Naruto, "Naruto, you're one of our best customers, but I'll need to see some money up front before you order anything else." His mouth hung open as he numbly reached for his froggy wallet.

Shikamaru sighed not really in the mood to figure out why they had left as quickly as they did. He continued to walk with out really knowing where they were going and before he knew it, they had arrived at the park. "Shikamaru? Um…" He looked back to see a pink faced Hinata. She was avoiding his eyes but gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. He blinked and gently let go of her hand and sat beneath one of the many trees in the park. Not many people were here today and those who were, were mostly elderly folks or those too preoccupied with other things to take much notice of the young adults. Hinata followed Shikamaru beneath the tree. Neither said a word for a while, they just sat calmly watching the clouds. Before long, Hinata noticed that Shikamaru's eyelids had slowly closed.

Something warm and soft traced lines on Shikamaru's face. He remained asleep until it floated passed his cheek once more. Shikamaru sluggishly opened his eyes and found himself looking up directly into Hinata's face. Somehow he had ended up in her lap after he had fallen asleep. As soon as she realized he was awake her face immediately flushed with color, "Oh, Shikamaru! I-I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry, I know that you hav-haven't slept at all since your last mission and you need your rest before you leave." The more time he spent with her the more he noticed that Hinata tended to go on and on when she was nervous. Shikamaru guessed it had to do with her not wanting to seem too quiet or something. "It's just that-" before Hinata could finish her sentence Shikamaru lifted his head from her lap, gently tugging on one of the long locks of hair that hung over her shoulder, and silenced her with a soft kiss.

The kiss was more of a brush of lips but it was enough to make Hinata's eyes begin to tear up. Shikamaru sat up and tenderly held her. "Shh, it's ok. Everything will be ok." he whispered into her hair. Shikamaru and Hinata had been apart before but never for such a long time. There were plenty of things that could happen in the span of three months and most of them could end it all. Just thinking of all the possible outcomes resulting from their three month separation made his body faintly tremble with fear. The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks as Hinata nodded her head against his chest. He squeezed her gently before getting up, offering a hand to the Hyuga as he stood.

They stood awkwardly neither knowing what to say. Shikamaru gently stroked her cheek and whispered, "I-I have to go now." He cleared his throat as Hinata shyly giggled. He turned his head from her and scratched the back of his neck, "There's something I want to ask you before I leave." He faced her once more, his cheeks were now a lovely shade of pink, and cleared his throat nervously once more, "W…will you marry me?" Hinata's face immediately surpassed the color on Shikamaru's cheeks. "Shi-Shikamaru…" She hid her face in embarrassment. "Wait; don't give me your answer until I return." There was an uncomfortable pause in which Hinata nodded. Shikamaru turned to leave but was stopped when he heard her call out to him. He turned and before he had time to blink, Hinata had tackle hugged him to the ground. She whispered into his vest, her tears soaking into the material. Shikamaru placed his arms around her waist and whispered back. She told him that she would miss him and to come back safe and he answered that he would also miss her and that everything would be alright.

It was in this position that Naruto, Ino and Sakura found the couple. All three newcomers were wearing civilian clothes and blushes. Naruto's mouth dropped open and he pointed, "No way! Hinata and Shikamaru are…they're…" If there was anything in the world that could grab one's attention, it was the loudmouth blonde. Shikamaru and Hinata immediately sprang apart. Hinata wiped her tears as they stood. Sakura tried to gently pull Naruto away, "I think it'd be best if we waited for him at the gate. Um, sorry for the interruption." Naruto remained stiff with shock. Shikamaru sighed and walked passed the others, "I have to stop home to change first." All followed after him except for the stunned blonde.

Shikamaru mentally thanked the Gods that neither of his parents were home as all his friends piled into his kitchen. He went to the fridge were he found a note his mother had taped there this morning. He returned to the table, all conversation stopped and all three girls were avoiding his eyes. Hinata's face remained flushed and Naruto's mouth still hung open, his eyes wide and unseeing. Shikamaru though of simply shaking his friend but decided that he didn't want to at the moment so he just poured the cup of juice over Naruto's head. He got the reaction he was expecting. "Hey what's the big idea?! Now your gonna…" Naruto stopped as he realized where they were. Shikamaru removed Naruto's hands from his collar and proceeded to his room. Naruto blinked, shook his head and then sat back down.

More than an hour later than they had planed, the small group was at the gates getting seen off. The farewell group consisted mostly of the departing group's parents, teachers and the rest of the rookie nine. Shikamaru was glad that his father was away on a mission right now, otherwise he'd probably be getting some lame advice about women in the land of waves. Hinata approached him and stopped within a friendly distance of him. "I hope your mission goes well and I'll be sure to be here to welcome you guys back." An unspoken sentence hung between them. Shikamaru looked at his team and then back at Hinata. He nodded and stepped closer to her. She blushed but did not try to take a step back; instead she also stepped closer to him.

All eyes were now on them as they noticed Hinata's strange reaction. Shikamaru cupped her face and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her to him so there was no space between them. Hinata did nothing to stop him, her cheeks gaining a pink look as she put her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. It faintly registered in the back of Shikamaru's mind that everything had suddenly become quiet but he didn't care. At the moment all that mattered was Hinata; not who saw or what they'd say or even how much trouble he could get in for kissing the Hyuga heiress. With that he kissed her, but calling it a kiss would do it no justice. No. Anyone in the crowd could see, except the once more stiffened Naruto that it was too strong with out looking strong. Nothing happened except the pressing together of bodies and lips but it was clear from their faces that to them it was much more than a kiss.

Their lips parted but they remained together, both young adults blushing and short of breath. With their foreheads touching, Shikamaru whispered, "I'll miss you." Hinata nodded, her tears threatening to spill. "I'll miss you too," she whispered back becoming more aware of the noises around them. When the team finally left it was getting dark. As soon as the gate was out of sight Shikamaru was bombarded with questions. Poor Hinata was suffering the same thing on a much bigger scale. _How long are they going to keep this up? What a drag._ "Focus on the mission." was all he said and the team remained quiet throughout the rest of the night.

**Two of my favorite Naruto coupples together. Yay! I just dont see enough Shikamaru X Hinata fics out there. Hope you had as much fun reading it as I had typing it. Leave me a review and tell me what you think**.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again! This was going to be a one-shot as the summery says but then I realized that the ending kind of leaves things up in the air. So, after much deliberation (not really) I decided to pick things up were I left off. Seeing as the story is not yet set in stone, I'm probably going to take a while. Well then, enjoy!**

Naruto burped happily after his 12th bowl of instant ramen, the female members of his team stared at him with wide eyes, their mouths gaping open. Shikamaru sat up lazily and sighed. He looked at the group of people he would be stuck with for the next 3 months; he definitely had his work cut out for him. Naruto wasn't the brightest, and could ruin the whole mission at any given moment. Right now, however, he was busy licking away at the bottom of his bowl. Though Ino and Sakura were currently being courteous with each other, it would not last long. All it would take to start the nasty cat fights would be one miss worded sentence or any small difference of opinion…and Shikamaru was not willing to deal with angry girls. They were bad enough when they were being bossy.

Shikamaru looked up at the darkening sky and sighed, "You full yet Naruto?" The blond boy turned to him with a wide grin and nodded feverishly, "Good, because we're going to have to set camp here for the night." All eyes were wide and directed at the lazy ninja. "But Shikamaru isn't the land of waves close by? I mean, if we left right now couldn't we make it there before sunrise?" Shikamaru looked at Ino with a board expression, which she was quite used to after having spent years on the same team as him, and answered, "It'd be dangerous for normal civilians to be wandering around at night." Both blonds cocked their heads in confusion. Sakura pounded her fist in her open hand and gave a small, "Ah!" of understanding.

Shikamaru rubbed his face tiredly and got up. The rest of the team followed him off the edge of the dirt road and into the trees after they had put away all the empty ramen bowls and put out the fire, hiding any evidence that they had stopped there at all. Naruto and Ino were at the rear of the group whispering amongst themselves. "I don't get it, do you? What do civilians have to do with us?" Ino scratched he cheek thoughtfully, "I don't know. You don't think Shikamaru has forgotten that there are no civilians with us, do you? And what does Sakura know that we don't?" Hearing her name, the pink haired ninja looked over her shoulder. "You guys can't be serious? Keep up or we'll loose sight of Shikamaru." Ino huffed and was about to make a rude remark when the object of her irritation stopped in front of them.

Naruto being as sly as he was, walked up to the leader of their mission and asked him straight-out why he had thought they were escorting civilians with them. Ino smacked her forehead on the tent she and Sakura were currently putting up. Though she was also dieing to know, she would never admit to being stumped. Sakura popped her head out, "Ino are you OK, I heard something hit the side of the tent." Ino gave her a fake smile as she rubbed her forehead as sneakily as she could, "No, everything is alright." Shikamaru honestly wondered how Naruto had survived this long. _He can't have made it this far on pure luck, even that has to stop some time. _

Shikamaru called everyone over and asked them to stand in a circle. "Naruto, look at everyone. Tell me what do you see?" Naruto scrunched up his eyes in concentration, "Is this a trick question?" Both Sakura and Shikamaru felt like smacking their heads against the nearest tree. Ino, however, was thinking along the same lines as Naruto. It was Shikamaru the laziest genius they were talking about after all. Resisting the urge to act on his impulse he answered, "No…Ino what do you see? In particular, what is different?" She smiled shyly (an: wow a shy Ino, imagine that). Refusing to look like Naruto, she answered hesitantly, "We're not wearing our usual outfits nor our headbands?" Sakura nodded bringing relief to the blond kunoichi. Turning back to Naruto Shikamaru asked, "Do you know why?" At his blank look, he sighed. "Do you at least know what the mission is?" A vigorous nod followed, "Yes! For three months we are to infiltrate the land of waves working undercover as normal townsfolk to gather inform-" His face brightened with understanding as he put his arms behind his head with embarrassment. "I knew that. I was just testing you guys."

That night Shikamaru couldn't sleep despite the fact that he hadn't slept in over a day, and it had nothing to do with Naruto's loud snoring. He quietly stepped out of the tent he shared with the obnoxious blond and walked a short distance away. He leaned against one of the may trees and looked sadly to the sky. True it would've been better if it were clouds and not stars that moved lazily through the sky, but it made him wonder what kind of missions Hinata would receive in his absence. She was a very capable ninja, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but…a twig snapped behind him. Shikamaru pulled out a hidden kunai from his sleeve. A sleepy looking Ino stepped out from behind a tree, rubbing her eyes as she approached him.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she sat next to him. Shikamaru put the kunai back and sat down. "Nothing, just thinking." She yawned and covered her mouth. Ino looked at him but he was too busy looking at the sky. She pulled her knees to her chest and asked "Is it about Hinata?" When he did not answer she buried her face in her knees. "Shikamaru, why didn't you tell me you two were seeing each other? I would've kept it a secret if you really wanted me to." Her voice sounding muffled and even a little hurt. She heard his clothes rustle next to her but she did not look up. "C'mon. We have a few things to go over in the morning before we even get to the land of waves. So rest up now and wake early tomorrow." Ino finally looked up. Shikamaru had his hand extended to her. She shyly took it. Together they walked back to their tents hand in hand with Ino blushing lightly the whole way.

Naruto was the last to wake up. The girls' tent had already been packed up and everyone was dressed and ready. Naruto took his sweet time getting up. He sat up sluggishly and stretched. A few minutes after staring into space he dressed himself without bothering to do anything about his bed head. He ruffled it with his hand a few times before he decided his hair was fine. He stepped out of the tent sporting a long light blue shirt with white around the collar. It was un tucked and mostly free of wrinkles. "Wow, could you have been any slower?" An irritated Sakura asked sarcastically.

Sakura was wearing a light pink dress that stopped at her knees. It was a shade darker than her hair and was sleeveless. Under it she wore light capris that stopped halfway down her calf. "Yeah, Naruto! You're the only one that's left. Hurry up so we can go already!" the other blond member screeched with her fists planted on her hips. Ino was sporting a sleeveless midriff baring purple shirt. She also had on a tight short over which she wore a miniskirt with a slit on one side. Naruto's only response was to yawn and lazily scratch his head. Shikamaru called his team over to a spot near their backpacks. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt bellow a black t-shirt and some lighter pants. "Everybody gather round. There are some things we must deal with first."

**Thanks to those who reviewed and read, it made me sooooooo happy to see that people actually read my stuff and some even took the time to write a review. Thank you so much! Next chapter will focus on Hinata and all the things she must now deal with, but that's as far as I got it figured out. I'll have need of a few suggestions after next chapter, so until next time! Leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not have ownership over any of the characters mentioned in this fictional story. Also, I'd like to thank Hotari-chan for the great idea of having Neji (and his team) appear in this chapter, otherwise team Gai wouldnt have appeared until much later in the story. So, thank you very much! Enjoy! **

Hinata woke the following morning in a white room with no recollection of how she had ended up there. Clutching the sheets to herself tightly, she sat up in the unfamiliar bed and looked about herself. It was then that she became aware of the noises beyond the white door in her completely white room. People were whispering angrily, their words unintelligible to her ear. Hinata stood, suppressing a squeak as her bear feet touched the cold tile, and quietly activated her Byakugan.

She scanned the small crowd at the end of the hall for familiar faces. _Kiba? Shino? Lady Tsunade?…Father! _Shino and Kiba, mostly Kiba, were quietly talking amongst themselves a short distance from the group. Her father was talking to Lady Tsunade an angry scowl on his face. The rest were quietly arguing with a few nurses. Hinata stepped towards the door on wobbly legs, the fear mounting as she neared the door. Before she was halfway across the room, however, an angry Tsunade opened the door and forcefully pushed the crowed that was attempting to enter back out. With an angry sigh, she whipped her brow and turned to the young Hyuga.

"You're up and well, I see." the Hokage said to the terrified heiress after making sure to lock the door behind her. A few shouts and some banging on the door was heard until the group was kicked out. "This is a hospital not some amusement park! Patients need their rest to recuperate!" yelled some nurse beyond the door as she ushered out the noisy guests. Hinata only managed to nod as Tsunade checked her for any bruises or other problems. The older woman gently led Hinata back to her bed once she was satisfied with her check. "Wha-what happened? How did I get here?" The Hokage looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she tucked her back in. "You don't remember?" a shake of the head and the blond woman asked, "Well, what **do **you remember?"

Hinata looked down at her hands in her lap. _Shikamaru had asked me to Ichiraku's yesterday, said he wanted to tell me something, and then Naruto showed up. After finding out that Shikamaru would be away for…a long time… _Hinata gulped back her tears,_ he dragged me out of the restaurant without letting go of my hand until we got to the park. There Shikamaru fell asleep after a while. He looked so calm that I couldn't resist laying him on my lap so he could sleep better, but then I woke him up. When he woke up h-he, he asked me to marry him!_ Hinata clutched her face as she felt it heat up with color.

Tsunade chuckled to herself as she watched the young woman sitting on the hospital bed. At first, the Hyuga merely watched her hands, but then her pale cheeks became tinted with pink. Tsunade managed to catch a few words such as Ichiraku's, park, couldn't resist and sleep making the Hokage blush as she came up with her own dirty thoughts based on Hinata's mutterings. _They're already at __**that**__ level? Just how long have they been together? _Tsunade was brought out of her nasty thoughts when the young woman in front of her let out a surprised gasp.

"What's wrong?" Hinata furiously shook her head, hiding her face behind her arms as her face became tomato red. Tsunade gently tried to remove Hinata's arms from her face but when that failed, she crossed her arms across her rather large chest, "Hinata Hyuga stop this foolishness at once!" The commanding voice and the small killing intent that promised pain if she were to disobey caused Hinata to immediately drop her arms to her lap. "Now, tell me what brought this on," she poked Hinata's flushed cheek with a long manicured red nail, "and when were you planning to tell your father?" Hinata avoided Tsunade's eyes as the Hokage pulled a chair next to the bed and crossed her arms and legs waiting for an explanation.

The seconds ticked by and Hinata could've sworn she heard the Hokage muttering angrily about, " that damn proud Hyuga" or something of that sort. Tapping her nails on her arm impatiently, Tsunade tried to prompt the shy Hyuga, "Well? Do you know why you're here?" Hinata nodded, her blush dimming down to its normal pink, "I-I fainted." she said barely above a whisper. "True, but you should've expected those questions with the scene you two put on." Again, the color rose higher on her cheeks. She gripped the blanket tightly, dread filling her entire body as she asked, "Wha-what did f-father say?" Choosing not to answer her question, Tsunade got up and walked to the door, "Since you seem to be doing well enough now that you're awake, you'll be released once we make sure all-" She was interrupted as the door was blasted off its hinges before she could open it.

"Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!" Gai yelled as tears streamed down his face. Gai dragged a reluctant Tenten behind him and a worried Lee walked beside him with an annoyed Neji bringing up the rear. "Gai," growled the Hokage as she fisted her hands at her side. Gai, ignoring her angry demeanor, carelessly stepped over the broken door pulling an unwilling Tenten with him, "MY POOR PUPIL!" he blubbered. "She has been wounded and is bleeding terribly! Oh, to be struck down in the prime of youth!" Gai shouted melodramatically. Lee sobbed uncontrollably as Tsunade's eyes softened. "Gai sensei its nothing, really." a terrified Tenten tried to weasel out of her sensei's grasp with no success. However, after a once over all Tsunade could find was a shallow cut on Tenten's upper arm. It was bleeding slightly, staining the cloth around the wound, but was nowhere near life threatening.

Hinata let out a small squeak as Gai was punched back out into the hall. Luckily, Neji had chosen to step out of the room when he began to feel the irritable waves coming off the Hokage. Gai received a thorough chewing out as Tsunade healed Tenten in a matter of seconds. Neji instantly recognized his cousin's trademark squeak and was surprised to see her sitting in the room that his sensei had barged into. "What happened?" he asked trying to ignore the shouting going on a few feet away from them. Apparently, Tsunade was having a horrible day and Gai was the unlucky man she would be tacking it out on.

"I-I fainted," she whispered. Neji arched an eyebrow, _that is normal so why would the Hokage be here unless something else happened. _"Why?" Hinata looked down at her lap, her face flushing with color. Now Neji's curiosity was peaked. "Why?" he repeated, his tone flat and slightly bored. His cousin squirmed under his gaze and shook her head refusing to answer. It was bad enough that her father had found out but what would Neji do if he learned that she was dating Shikamaru. Never mind the fact that they had kissed. Neji would kill him if he found out that Shikamaru had proposed to her. Hinata pulled the covers around herself protectively and shook her head once more. Giving up with a sigh, he asked her when she'd be out and offered to wait for her. Hinata shook her head still refusing to make eye contact with her cousin. Neji shrugged his shoulders, muttering whatever as he went to check on what was left of his sensei.

Between Neji and Lee, the two convinced Tsunade that Gai had had enough but that Tenten would make sure he didn't bother her anymore. Gai stood against the wall, a look of triumph on his face as he held the "mortally wounded" Tenten in a bone-crushing hug. This was soon followed by a bonk on the head as Tenten was released. Lee danced around them like an enchanted spandex wearing coconut headed fairy. The green semi twins' laughter not at all reassuring Tsunade that Gai had learned his lesson. A few minutes later a fuming Tsunade left team Gai. Gai and Lee stepped into the room to apologize as an angry Shizune had oh so kindly (with a poisoned needle) suggested. Tenten followed even though she felt it was all her sensei's fault. "Oh, Neji! It's your cousin!" she spoke with delight and immediately walked up to the younger woman and properly introduced herself.

Gai and Lee talked loudly with Tenten making a few comments here and there and Neji stayed mostly quiet. Hinata mostly smiled and blushed but when she would speak it was barely above a whisper. Her face heated up with color when Lee laughed and put his arm around her shoulder and told her to let out her youthful inner self more. Neji's eyebrow twitched but he said nothing. In the end Hinata was discharged and convinced, more like dragged, to eat at Ichiraku's's.

Her first clue to turn back once they entered the restaurant was an abnormally large white tail resting patiently in the walkway. The next clue Hinata had to make her wish she had been stricter in refusing was a large greenish brown jacket sitting on a stool near the big white tail. Nervously she dropped her eyes as she stared at her shoes. _Please, not there. Anywhere but there. _Still, her cousin and his teammates seamed to be walking closer to that dreaded place despite her silent prayer. Lee and Tenten chattered amongst themselves animatedly until Tenten noticed the tail and the coat. She began walking directly to the small group with her team and a worried Hinata following her. "Say, Hinata? Aren't they your team members?"

**Is it just me or do I seem to be getting worse? So far, I'm only truly content with the first chapter. Oh well, guess I just need more practice. As for team Gai, I was thinking of introducing them in on a later chapter where Shikamaru and Neji go on a slightly painful mission. I might still have them go on that mission but I'm not sure yet. I have been thinking ahead and Hinata and Shikamaru are in for a very bumpy ride, but again I'm not sure of the outcome. Would killing a few people off be too much? Of course it wouldn't be anyone too important to the fic, but still...Suggestions are always considered so review and tell me what you think. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: as I've already said, I do not own any of the Naruto characters and I never will, so there. Xb**

Both Shino and Kiba looked up from their bowls as Tenten approached them. Hinata gulped and returned her gaze back down to her shoes. She blushed and whispered a hello to her friends. Shino nodded his greeting and Kiba turned red in the face and turned away after muttering a gruff hello in response. Lee, oblivious to the tension in the air, tried to make small talk but Shino barely said more than a handful of words. Tenten joined in to try to diminish the awkwardness, feeling somehow sorry for the Hyuga heiress, and this seemed to put Kiba somewhat at ease for soon he too was immersed in the conversation. Hinata stood nervously by as her cousin wandered off to order some food.

Neji briefly wondered, as he ordered some ramen for his teammates, if he was bored enough that he'd be willing to slip some sake into Lee's food just to entertain himself. After some further consideration, though, he decided against it since it'd be more trouble than it was worth. Once he made sure that Ayame had gotten his order right, he returned to the strained atmosphere. There, he was slightly surprised when one of Hinata's teammates, the one with the markings on his face, _what was his name again?_, turned unexpectedly to him. He raised a questioning eyebrow but did nothing else waiting for him to speak.

Kiba was growing tired of the discussion, he was never one for polite conversation when there were other much more interesting things that could be discussed such as, missions. _Is it just me, or do we always get simple jobs like babysitting and cleaning people's yards. He thought crossing his arms with a frown. What ever happened to all the exciting missions when we didn't know if we'd come back alive? Or the ones where we got to see interesting new places. I wonder if anyone knows that the softest grass is in that one little town near those hills…what was it called again? I wonder if Shikamaru knows? He most likely does seeing as he's the laziest g-_ Kiba's eyes widened and he shook his head realizing he was getting off track. He remained frowning muttering under his breath until Neji rejoined their table.

--

The leader of the mission, Shikamaru, looked at the people surrounding him, clearly doubting that they understood at all. Rubbing his forehead tiredly, he lifted his face to the sky and sighed. "Do you know what we're supposed to do?" Shikamaru asked directing his question to no one. Everyone. Anyone, he didn't really care who answered. "Me 'n Sakura are getting married!" exclaimed the loudest member. This outburst was immediately followed by a fist colliding to the back of Naruto's head. "It's only for the mission." Sakura angrily blushed as she cracked her knuckles daring the blond boy to say otherwise. "Besides, we're just engaged not planning a whole wedding," she added with a huff. Shikamaru then turned his eyes from the clouds to Ino, "…and you?"

Shikamaru had always been close at hand for Ino but their interaction last night made her realize something. She thought she knew who he was and what made him tick but as she had sat against the tree while he looked at the stars she found herself unable to access the silent man sitting beside her. Ino had wanted to reach her hand over and touch his shoulder to confirm that guy who appeared to be Shikamaru but not Shikamaru sitting next to her was indeed her friend and teammate. But she had been too scared of what she might find and had instead opted to hug her legs and bury her face in her knees, a terrible feeling of loss and of distance burying itself deeper in the pit of her stomach.

The memories from the night before were shaken from the blonde's head as Sakura called out to her. "Uh, Ino are you alright? You kind of spaced out." Ino shook her head as if she could rid herself of her doubts when she realized she had been staring at Shikamaru. She turned to the other kunoichi and stuck out her tongue embarrassedly, a light blush staining her cheeks, "Y-yeah, just thinking." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow questioningly, he had not liked what he had seen in those blue eyes. She had looked so terribly lonely and her eyes had brimmed with inexplicable fear that Shikamaru had almost wanted to pull her into her lap and rub soothing circles on her back until she returned to the bright , if not bossy, woman he knew. "Ino…?" He extended a hand towards her but she waved his hand away and gave him a small smile, "I am the groom-to-be's cousin and friend to his fiancée." Shikamaru nodded hesitantly still slightly concerned for the blond kunoichi but decided to let it go, for now at least.

"Alright!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air as he stood. "This is going to be the best mission! The Hokage will be so surprised with our success that she'll have no other choice but to give us a promotion!" Sakura shook her head and clucked her tongue before standing and smacking Naruto in the head though it was lighter than the previous time. He merely grind sheepishly before dramatically dropping to one knee and grasping Sakura's hands in his own. The pink haired kunoichi raised an eyebrow suspiciously before Naruto continued with his theatrics, "Dearest Sakura, would you marry me?" A trembling Sakura raised an angry fist as she screeched, "**Na-ru-to!**" Deadly poison dripping off each and every syllable.

Ino and Shikamaru stood a safe distance away watching as a seething Sakura proceeded to pulverized Naruto who was desperately attempting to flee with no success. "Ino, is everything alright?" Ino turned from the carnage going on only a few 100 yards from where she stood and forced herself to smile as she turned to the man who was Shikamaru but not Shikamaru. "Hm?" she responded careful to keep her tone light and cheery. "I said, are you ok?" he repeated as he bent down to be at eye level with the blond woman, but she avoided his gaze and instead turned back to painful revenge Sakura was inflicting on the knuckle headed ninja. With a small and clearly fake laugh she said, "We better stop them soon before there's nothing left of Naruto." Without waiting for Shikamaru to respond and before he could do anything else, Ino stepped towards the hair-raising pleads for mercy.

--

Kiba figured, if anyone would know the reasons for Hinata's secrecy it'd be her cousin. So he abruptly turned to the Hyuga prodigy, being the ever tactical person he was oh so well known for, and asked "Hey, Neji, d-" The bug tamer interrupted by standing and putting a hand on Kiba's shoulder. "Kurenai sensei is expecting us." Kiba blinked and then let out a loud barking laugh. _It was probably for the best,_ he thought, _she does seem to be close to our sensei. Hinata probably regards her as something close to a mother. I'll ask her instead._Team 8 bid the others goodbye and left with Hinata walking between the two males.

The walk to the training grounds was silent and awkward, at least for Hinata it seemed that way. When they finally arrived their sensei was nowhere in sight. Hinata nervously sat down in the grass to wait for Kurenai sensei as her other team members dispersed. Akamaru plopped down beside her and gently laid his enormous paw on her lap. _Traitor,_thought the Inuzuka as he watched with a wary eye from a distance. Though Shino appeared to be studying some bugs on a tree trunk not too far away, his ears were focused on the interactions of his teammates.

Akamaru, sensing something wrong with the female member of his master's team, licked her chin getting a shy giggle out of Hinata. Kiba approached Hinata silently and sat a short distance from her balanced on his toes. Hinata tensed up a bit but continued to play with Akamaru's hair stealing a glance at Kiba from the corner of her eyes. He quietly shuffled closer to her. Hinata pretended not to notice as she petted Akamaru's sleepy head and looked up at Shino's back. He was currently examining a small beetle running across his thumb. She turned back to Akamaru only to notice how close Kiba had come. "K-Kiba?!" she squeaked. Akamaru gave a small whine at the high pitch in the Hyuga's voice. Quick to placate the enormous dog who had climbed as wholly as possible on to her lap at this point, Hinata gently rubbed behind his ears getting a low growl of satisfaction in return.

Hinata nervously turned back to Akamaru's master as he continued to invade her personal space. "K-kiba, w-what are you d-doing?" The Inuzuka ignored her as he leaned closer to Hinata. Her scent was just as pleasing - soothing even, as he remembered. However, if he concentrated further he could catch the slight stench of the shadow boy gently overlapping hers. Closing his eyes he forced himself to ignore her enjoyable sent and block out her melodious voice focusing only on the displeasing scent of the Nara. _There!_Kiba let out a small growl, audible only to Akamaru who whimpered in return, as he realized that it was concentrated far more greatly on her lips.

Hinata did not need to hear the growl to know that her friend was angered by something. The angry scowl and the flash of white fangs was enough to alert her to his displeasure. Hinata timidly reached her hand out, since Kiba was focused on something that seemed like only he could see and was still too close for comfort, and gently poked Kiba's stiff shoulder, "K-Kiba?" "**What ?!**" he growled, his fangs fully bared. Hinata immediately removed her hand as if he had bitten her. Kiba's face immediately softened and he scooted back to a more respectable distance, "Hinata, I …" There was nothing he could think of to say how sorry he was and that he'd never meant to frighten her. The look of fear that had flashed across her face left his throat feeling like sand paper and his tongue swollen and dry.

Kiba cleared his throat but Shino interrupted before he had a chance to do anything else, "Look, Hinata." Shino pointed beyond the trees he had been studying the entire time. Hinata quickly stood, or as quickly as one could when a dog the size of a small horse is on one's lap, and strode over to Shino eager for a reason to escape. Akamaru whined at the loss of warmth and irritably flicked Kiba's ankle with his long white tail. Kiba responded by emitting a low sound of distress in the back of his throat.

"Birds," he stated once Hinata had reached him. Hinata , however, kept her eyes on the ground and nodded to Shino. Clenching her shaky fists at her sides and trying desperately to refrain from crying, she headed passed the trees and deeper in to the small forest completely ignoring the small baby sparrow chirping at her feet as her steps quicken until she was in a flat-out run. Once Shino was sure Hinata was out of earshot he turned to his other team member who was now standing apparently about to follow the young Hyuga.

Shino fixed him with a hard glare, or at least Kiba though so but it was difficult to tell with most of his face covered and the dark sunglasses. _Stupid sunglasses_. Shino walked calmly towards the dog boy. Kiba immediately tensed up, a warning growl escaping his throat before he could stop it. This time a narrow eyebrow became visible as Shino stared at the Inuzuka. "You'll bite me?" a question that was more of a dare but Kiba answered in an even and, for once, controlled voice, "Only if I have to." Shino's only response was to take his hands out of his pockets and Kiba didn't have to see them to know that he was preparing to call forth his insects.

Kiba unconsciously took a step back, Akamaru baring his fangs as his master's scent became more nervous and guarded. He was not liking the way his master and his teammate were behaving, but that was not going to stop him from defending his master. If worse came to worse, he would fight their ally to protect his master from those nasty bugs that bit and sucked his blood. Akamaru growled as his legs and tail became stiff ready to attack, but before any further warnings could be delivered his master exploded with anger.

"He **KISSED**her! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?! WALTZING IN OVERNIGHT AND KISSING HINATA! He kissed **HER**! WHAT MAKES HIM THINK HE CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT?! **HE**kissed her! That bastard, I'll kill him! " His short burst of anger now over, Kiba stood with his hands rapidly clenching and unclenching at his side and breathing heavily through his nose, no longer seeming to be in control of himself. Once more Shino's famous eyebrow made its appearance, "Over night? Hardly. And there's no need to remind me, I was there."

Kiba lost whatever bit of sense that had held him back and, letting out an eerily inhuman cry, charged his teammate with claws outstretched and fangs dripping with large quantities of saliva. The insects were already swarming about his arms before Kiba had even crossed a fourth of the distance between them. Preparing himself to fight his teammate, Shino sent his insects towards his two opponents with orders to blind them and keep injuries to a minimum following closely behind them. Closer and closer they came with neither of them attempting to doge the other. Now they were only a few feet away, Kiba and Akamaru covered in small bugs that seemed to have very little affect on the pair. Merely a few inches apart. However, before either made contact, a kunai was embedded in the ground just missing their legs. Both drew back quickly. Within a few seconds all the insects had crawled back under Shino's sleeves and under his skin.

**This chapter kind of turned out a bit differently than I had planed but I think I like this version better. Please review and tell me if anything should be changed or needs fixing. All comments and criticism are welcomed. So, please review! Later!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait **

**Disclaimer: yeah, I don't own any Naruto characters, unfortunately (or maybe that's for the best) and so without further ado…**

Kurenai sensei had been mad when she got to the training grounds. Actually, she had been more than mad when she arrived at the scene; she had been seriously pissed off.

She arrived just in time to stop the fight before it even began and she was thankful she got there when she did. Had Kurenai arrived any later the precious teamwork she had dilled into her pupils would have suffered irreparable damage. Millions of questions buzzed around in her head as she scolded her two male charges for what had to be the first time in years. _What ever happened to their perfect teamwork? What could've caused this? Who started this? Kiba? Most likely…_

"Where's Hinata?" she asked suspiciously eyeing the two males.

Her question was met with silence.

She repeated her question fixing her eyes on the Inuzuka. Kiba squirmed under her gaze uncomfortably; Akamaru whined and bowed his head in shame from his spot next to Kiba.

Shino, as always, stared impassively ahead. He shifted his stance lightly, almost unnoticeably, the only sign that he was worried or troubled.

This was getting her nowhere. Kurenai spoke once again, "Where's Hinata? Did she come here with the both of you?" Her patience was growing thin. _Its been a while since we were able to do a mission as a team, but now I might have to cancel _she thought with a sigh.

Kiba was never one for silence so it wasn't surprising that he was the first to crack. However, he was surprised when he opened his mouth and instead of the gruff voice that was his, a smaller delicate sounding voice answered, "I-I'm sorry, Kurenai sensei…he-here I am…"

If she had been surprised when she had seen that two members of a team well known for their amazing teamwork were about to engage in a frighteningly serious and probably crippling fight, Kurenai became ill at ease when the shy Hyuga heiress walked in to their little group.

Hinata timidly walked up to their sensei with her face downcast. Her face was hidden by her long bangs as was customary of the shy young woman. What remained visible was a sad little smile and cheeks stained with tears that Hinata had obviously tried to rub away.

Kiba felt the air leave his lungs as Hinata walked in. Her head was bowed and her hands were fidgeting nervously with her jacket sleeves. He cringed. On her pale cheeks were watery tear tracks. With a pang he realized that he had made her cry. Kiba felt his insides shrivel up with guilt and clenched his fists in agitation. He turned to Shino. The stoic young man shifted inconspicuously once more but did nothing else.

Kurenai sat down with a long sigh and motioned for Hinata to do the same. Turning to the remainder of her pupils she said, "As we are right now, we will not succeed in our mission. Only Kiba will come with me. I'll speak with each of you in turn, starting with Hinata." _I had better not catch any of you eavesdropping. _The young men seemed to understand her silent warning as both nodded. She dismissed them with a simple wave of her hand and both sped off in different directions.

--

Kurenai showed no surprise at the Hyuga's shy confession but she was having difficulties digesting it all at once. She coughed into her hand lightly then looked at Hinata once more.

"…boredom?" Kurenai asked incredulously. Hinata nodded, her cheeks flushed.

"…."

Hinata nervously twirled a few strands of lavender hair around her pale fingers. Kurenai rubbed her forehead tiredly, wishing she could ask Asuma about his lazy pupil. _You just had to die, _she thought sadly and even a little bitterly.

"What about Naruto?" Hinata shook her head lightly and her blush dimmed, "He l-loves Sakura." _Hinata…_Kurenai had to fight the overwhelming impulse to hug the young woman.

"B-besides, I-I don't fe-feel like that any-anymore I-I…" and not another intelligible word was heard from the flustered Hyuga. Her face would make a tomato jealous and her hair was dancing wildly about her as she shook her head and muttered into her sleeves refusing to continue her sentence.

After trying to get a little more from Hinata and failing, Kurenai went off in search for Kiba since Shino would most likely be easier to find.

--

A few minutes into her search, Kurenai found Kiba and his loyal dog perched atop the Hokage monument. Looking sad and guilt ridden he turned to his sensei and bowed deeply, "Sensei I'm really, really sorry. I just…I just," a blush stained his cheeks as he shook his head like a dog trying to shake himself dry. "I'm sorry." he finished lamely.

--

Shino was easier to understand. He had been near the forest of death harvesting what would prove to be very dangerous insects when Kurenai found him.

While Hinata had been gone to provide much information on the fight and Kiba had squirmed around his reasons when Kurenai confronted him about it, Shino delivered a mostly impartial account of the events.

--

Kiba returned from the mission days later sore all over his body and a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. Kurenai gave them specific directions for their training and had them doing relatively easy and simple missions as a punishment.

**Sorry for the short chapter but I just needed to wrap things up. Review, and until next time.**


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